Nasal congestion is a common condition that refers to the blockage or obstruction of the nasal passages due to various factors. The nose plays a vital role in the respiratory system as it is responsible for filtering, warming, and moistening the air we breathe before it reaches the lungs.
Despite being perceived as a minor inconvenience, nasal congestion can severely impact one’s quality of life, making it difficult to breathe, sleep, or perform daily activities. It can also lead to complications such as sinus infections, ear infections, and sleep apnea.
If you are experiencing nasal congestion, Cayra Clinic offers various treatments to alleviate your symptoms and improve your breathing. Contact us to schedule a consultation with our experienced medical professionals.
What Causes Nasal Congestion?
The nose becomes blocked because of upper respiratory tract infections, chronic smoking, bad weather conditions, or short-term allergic problems. In these cases, the solution is mostly simple, such as nasal sprays, allergy medications, salty bicarbonate water, and swimming in the sea.
Long-term nasal congestion of the nose is usually caused by the middle pole of curvature (deviation), adenoid enlargement, and nasal polyps( may be due to allergies or sinusitis), Chronic sinusitis. A long-term allergic cold (Rhinitis) can be another cause of chronic nasal congestion. These issues are usually problems that can be solved with simple short operations.
What Are the Symptoms of Nasal Congestion?
A person who cannot breathe through the nose uses his mouth to exchange breaths. Snoring is observed at night, accompanied by sleeping with the mouth open. Constant fatigue and weakness as a result of poor-quality sleep are common.
Dry mouth and throat infections due to air that cannot be filtered through the nose are some symptoms that can be experienced. Nasal congestion is often accompanied by symptoms of dryness and itching in the nose, and sneezing.
When Does Nasal Congestion Threaten My Health?
In cases where nasal congestion persists for many years, we see that heart and lung problems increase. The point that makes the nose so important for the health of all our organs is that it is the organ that delivers oxygen, which is the basic substance for our cells to live, to our body in a healthy way. Nasal congestion that cannot be treated for a long time threatens our health. We have to solve this problem both with medication and surgically.
Nasal Congestion in Infants and Children
Babies and children prefer to do nasal breathing. If a problem develops in the nose, such as a blocked nose, they are forced to do mouth breathing, and respiratory muscles activated by mouth breathing can cause posture disorder in infants.
Some babies may not know how to breathe through the mouth, they may not be able to, and this might cause serious breathing difficulties. In such a situation, it is important to contact your doctor urgently.
The most common cause of nasal obstruction in infants and children is an abnormality of nasal flesh or nose development. In some cases, the problem may need to be eliminated by surgery.
What are the Symptoms of Nasal Congestion in Children?
Infants and young children are not yet old enough to express the symptoms of various conditions. Therefore, parents can have an idea about whether nasal congestion is present in their children by following various symptoms:
- Lack of Appetite
- Anxiety
- Cough with phlegm
- Difficulty breathing
- Frequent waking up from sleep
- Difficulty falling asleep
What are the Biggest Complaints of Nasal Congestion?
Nasal congestion, inability to breathe through the nose, cause headache, snoring, or waking up exhausted in the morning. As a result, the main complaints are decreased work performance during the day and chronic fatigue.
What Health Problems Can Nasal Congestion Cause?
Because of the constant mouth breathing, frequent recurrent throat infections and chronic pharyngitis may develop.
- Snoring and sleep disorders develop.
- As a result of stopping breathing during sleep, blood pressure and heart rhythm disorder may develop.
- Sexual dysfunctions.
- Psychological problems.
- The sound quality declines
- Children may have problems sweating at night
- Chronic fatigue syndrome may develop.
- It can trigger migraines, leading to chronic headache problems.
How Long Does Nasal Congestion Normally Last?
A complaint of nasal congestion that develops due to common upper respiratory tract infections such as flu or colds is usually a condition that is expected to regress within 1-2 weeks, along with other symptoms.
On the other hand, Nasal congestion due to bacterial infection may persist for 10-14 days, depending on the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy. It is very important not to stop the antibiotic and complete the prescribed dose.
In cases of nasal congestion of allergic origin, complaints persist as long as the patient’s exposure to this substance continues.
Complaints of nasal congestion caused by anatomical problems such as septum deviation tend to stay if not treated.
How is Nasal Congestion Treated in Turkey?
Treatment of nasal congestion is possible by treating the main underlying cause.
In cases of nasal congestion caused by common infectious conditions such as the upper respiratory tract, using decongestant nasal sprays deemed appropriate and prescribed by the physician for no more than a few days may benefit.
Apart from this application, methods such as steam inhalation, warm compress applications, antihistamine medication use within the knowledge and prescription of physicians for allergic nasal discharge, humidification of the environment, or increasing fluid consumption may also benefit.
Surgical intervention can also treat this problem in anatomically caused nasal congestion.
When is the Operation Necessary? How Is It Decided? What kind of Operation is Performed?
If we cannot solve nasal congestion due to nasal flesh growth despite drug treatment, we shrink the nasal flesh with radio frequency or laser and open the respiratory tract.
In blockages due to chronic sinusitis that do not respond to medical therapy, operations aimed at treating sinusitis can be performed with a balloon, laser, and endoscopic navigated operation methods.
Unfortunately, medical treatment does not work in cases of nasal congestion in cartilage obliques, which we call nasal deviation. We can perform surgical treatment using endoscopic or classical methods to open the respiratory tract.
Patients discharged the same day after surgery can resume their jobs within a few days.
Why Choose Us?
In Cayra Clinic, with proper technique performed by our specialist doctors, who have access to the modern pieces of equipment needed for the best possible outcome, it is nearly painless with a quick recovery.
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